Stop the presses Microsoft is actually cutting cloud PC prices for SMBs, promises to make it 'more cost-effective for small and medium businesses'

Date:
Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:01:16 +0000

Description:
Microsoft is cutting the price of its Cloud PC subscriptions by 20% by reducing performance, but the trade-offs are minimal.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Pro Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Cloud PCs will take longer to wake up, but that'll get you 20% off your bill Microsoft says there's no performance disruption when they're up and running With OEMs rising hardware prices, Microsoft hopes more SMBs will switch to Cloud PCs Microsoft will be cutting prices for its Windows 365 Cloud PC services by a staggering 20% despite ongoing memory shortages, with the change coming into effect from May 1 2026.

The company hopes that, by making cloud desktops more attractive, especially for SMBs, it would be able to increase its customer base and recuperate costs that way. It's also an interesting time for companies to get into cloud PCs, with physical device costs continuing to rise. Article continues below You
may like Microsoft signs up Asus and Dell to join the Cloud PC party - powerful new mini PCs and desktops coming later in 2026 Global PC shipments set to plummet in 2026 as memory and storage shortages bite Unable to access Microsoft Cloud PC? This could be why - and a fix is on the way Microsoft is making Cloud PCs cheaper amid rising prices "DRAM and storage bill of materials costs increased $122-$237 from Q1 2025 to Q2 2026," Omdia noted, with those costs being pushed onto consumers and commercial customers with device price hikes.

The company is also setting out a two-stage plan to reduce resource wastage, which may impact performance but will have a welcome improvement on the bill. Cloud PCs will only stay active fro one hour after sign-out.

Once they begin to hibernate, they can be slightly slower to reconnect than before. Introduced to cut costs and reduce wastage, Microsoft says that performance remains the same once reconnected.

In other words, the revision "helps deliver a lower price point while preserving the full Windows 365 Business value and capabilities partners and customers expect." Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners
or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms &
Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

New users, and existing users renewing their subscriptions, will see the changes.

The "20% list price decrease for Windows 365 Business, along with a new on demand start experience," makes "Cloud PCs more accessible for small and medium business customers," the company added in an update .

More broadly, it signals a change in behavior with Microsoft targeting lower performance in the name of cost efficiency, much as a number of OEMs (including Raspberry Pi ) have done by introducing mid-spec tiers of devices below high-end flagships. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/stop-the-presses-microsoft-is-actually-cutting-c loud-pc-prices-for-smbs-promises-to-make-it-more-cost-effective-for-small-and- medium-businesses


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